The Skinny on COVID
The latest in numbers: 78M total cases & 933K total deaths (+747K & +16K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
According to the White House, we are now exiting the crisis phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the country begins to move back towards a sense of “normalcy,” immunocompromised Americans feel left out.
We’re two years into the pandemic & the CDC has publicly reported only some of the data that could have actually been useful to fighting COVID.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
The Biden Administration recently canceled $415M in student loan debt. Why won’t he just go ahead & cancel all them thangs already?
Russia has been playing mind games with everyone on its potential invasion of Ukraine, but it appears that Putin & Biden are both open to talking it out. Maybe? Also, are you just as confused about the origins of this Ukraine drama as we were? Here’s a breakdown.
So, apparently a new poll revealed that Black folks approve of Biden (“Who said that?”), but not inflation.
Joe Biden rolled out a program that will identify communities facing environmental justice issues, but did not include race as one of the qualifying factors that may indicate whether a community is at risk or not. Do people really think it’s possible to achieve true environmental justice without acknowledging environmental racism? How Sway?
Congress, What’s Good?
The Senate and Biden both pushed through the stopgap spending bill that avoided a government shutdown last week.
Senate Dems are telling Biden that they've got to put themselves first ahead of the midterm elections. As such, they’ve decided to pivot away from Build Back Better and explore issues like inflation, homebuyer deductions, suspending the federal gas tax & COVID. The GOP is focusing on similar issues leading up to the fall.
There will be no committee meetings this week. Both chambers are away and will return Monday the 28th.
Social Justice Round Up
Kim Potter, the murdering police officer who was convicted of killing Daunte Wright & who smiled on her mugshot, was sentenced to 16 months in prison & 8 months parole. What is justice in this country?
Virginia is moving ahead with plans to grant former felons the right to vote. If all goes according to plan, as many as 100K Black people previously convicted of felonies in VA could have the right to vote by early 2023.
What has the partnership between Jay-Z & the NFL actually done to further the league’s social justice mission?
Around the Diaspora
“Aint no fun if us and the homies can’t have none.” Guyana told its would-be energy investors that the days of them coming in to reap all the benefits without the Caribbean also benefiting are over.
Benin puts on its own art exhibit showcasing some of the sacred artifacts France returned after stealing them 130 years ago.
After many have tried to reverse engineer the COVID vaccine, 6 African nations (Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Kenya, Egypt & Tunisia) will receive the mRNA technology to help them produce the vaccines themselves. About damn time.
Getting to the Money
Marketing strategy your thing? Check out this open Digital Content Marketing Strategist role at Disney. The role is based in Los Angeles with a hybrid option, the leader of this team is a Black woman, & being a Star Wars nerd is actually a plus.
Ad agency Digitas has several available job opportunities across all of its offices (ATL, SF, NY, etc.).
Buying Black
Looking for ways to make your home even more Black? This Instagram Reel is full of Black-owned brands that offer everything from glassware and candles to paint and furniture.
Culture that Pops
Have you heard of an app called She Matters? It was created to offer culturally competent therapists, community & other helpful resources to Black women experiencing postpartum depression.
Check out the trailer for Showtime’s The First Lady, featuring Viola Davis as Michelle Obama. Did she nail it or nah?
This funny Twitter thread tested our Black cultural knowledge and reminded us that we all pretty much grew up the same way.